Street with historical half-timbered houses in Burgundy, France
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The multicolored, geometric-patterned roofs shone in the soft sunlight, serving as ideal accents atop Renaissance half-timbered houses; deep conversations at charming cafés over glasses of wine drifted down the narrow cobblestone streets as intriguing whispers. One particular table was where two young men, who were going to university in one of the most prestigious wine regions in the world, were talking about the big ideas of life that a young person wants to ponder with other youthful knowledge-seekers. Everything seemed surreal to these young men as they were going to school in Burgundy, a legendary wine region, even though both came from the lesser-known French wine region of the Loire Valley, with the first pockets of the area about a three-hour drive away. Despite their home not being that far, it felt like another world to them as they were overwhelmed by the place’s glory compared to their humble homeland. Yet they had each other and would make sure they finished the challenging winemaking and viticulture courses so they could raise the quality of their families’ wines.
One of these young men, Alexandre Mellot, would go on to play a significant role in elevating the overall quality of his family winery, Joseph Mellot, by improving vineyard and winery management, expanding vineyard holdings, and establishing his family’s wines in other export markets. He would become a big factor in making the wine sub-region of Sancerre one of the most esteemed places for elegant Sauvignon Blanc.
500 Years of History
The Mellot family estate was founded in Sancerre in 1513, so they have been making wine in this special Sauvignon Blanc area for over 500 years. The Mellots were always known as innovators whose minds soared beyond local conventions, despite having their hearts and souls rooted in the Loire Valley.
Cathedrale Notre-Dame in Paris
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There are several Mellot men who not only have shaped the family business in various ways but have also brought greater worldwide attention to the Sancerre region. In 1698, César Mellot was the personal sommelier for King Louis XIV, handpicking his wine collection, making the Mellot family the symbol of Sancerre wines. In the 1920s, Alphonse Mellot became the first Sancerre wine producer to exhibit at the Foire de Paris, winning many medals. His sons, Joseph and Edmond, took over the estate in the 1940s, with Joseph developing export markets in Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Eventually, Joseph and Edmond decided to go their separate ways, dividing the family estate, and thus the Joseph Mellot winery was born. Joseph had a son named Alexandre, who would not only go to Burgundy for his university training, helping to raise the knowledge base for better management of his family’s estate, but would also be a passionate spokesperson for Sancerre and the other sub-regions in the section of the Loire Valley called Centre-Loire.
Tragically, Alexandre passed away in 2005 at the youthful age of 44, leaving the family business in the hands of his wife, Catherine Corbeau-Mellot. And Catherine becomes one of the few extraordinary Mellot women carving out their own place in the family’s history.
In 1882, Julienne Mellot, the mother of Joseph, opened the first restaurant in Sancerre, Auberge Joseph Mellot, which has hosted luminaries such as Claude Monet. The oldest wine store in Sancerre was established in 1960 by Josette Mellot, and now it is run by Catherine Corbeau-Mellot.
Adrien, Catherine and Armand
Joseph Mellot
Catherine was not only faced with having to process the unexpected loss of her husband but she also needed to run the entire business overnight while becoming a single parent to her two sons, who were only 6 and 7 years old at the time. She could see the world was changing, with the cost of living drastically increasing, and that she would need to buy other vineyards in different sub-regions within the Centre-Loire so she could keep it a viable business for her boys and to keep the Mellot legacy alive. One of her sons, Armand, who is now in his mid-20s and working for the family business with his brother Adrien, talked about how difficult it was for his mother a couple of decades ago, to approach vineyard owners, as a single mother, to see if she could purchase the property, as she was met with a lot of hostility. But she never gave up, and today, she has made the business a thriving one for her sons, and Armand noted that his mother is still in charge. He and his brother are in awe of their mother and everything she has achieved, including certifying some of their vineyards as organic and the rest as sustainable, while receiving honors from prominent French wine and viticulture organizations.
Mellot family with the Michaud family
Joseph Mellot
Recently, the Mellot family has purchased another estate, Domaine Michaud, in the sub-region Touraine-Chenonceaux, a two-hour drive west of their estate in Sancerre. It is an area that has been a hidden gem, as it has that highly coveted quality to their soils, like Sancerre, which is silex, typically flint and silica mixed with clay and limestone. However, it is mixed in different proportions when it comes to silex found in Sancerre vineyards, as opposed to those found in Touraine-Chenonceaux, where the whiter silex is found. In contrast, a brown silex exists in the latter; hence, the characteristics of the terroir, sense of place, have their own distinctive expression. A side note about Touraine-Chenonceaux – which was awarded the highest wine quality designation in 2011 – it will change its name to simply Chenonceaux, as there is already a wine-growing area in the Loire Valley called Touraine.
Full Circle
Sunset over a vineyard in the Loire Valley
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Armand Mellot noted that the family who owned the estate in Chenonceaux had been longtime friends of their family, and when the father and mother of the estate wanted to retire, none of their children wanted to take over. Things have changed dramatically since the days when Armand’s mother was trying to buy vineyards, as today, producers in the Loire Valley have to worry about larger companies buying up estates, while locals desperately want to keep things in the hands of multi-generational families. So the owner approached the Mellot family and asked them to purchase the property, which was a natural fit as the Mellot family had already been helping distribute their wines (which are organic) and their values and philosophies are completely aligned. Also, this offers the Mellot family the opportunity to showcase another incredible side of the Loire Valley—outstanding Sauvignon Blanc wines with a strong sense of place —and to bring recognition to the Chenonceaux area, as they did for Sancerre all those generations ago.
But one of the best things about this change of stewardship of the Domaine Michaud estate, which had become a pioneer of Chenonceaux, is that the owner, Thierry Michaud, had gone to university in Burgundy with Alexandre Mellot all those years ago, when they both had big dreams for themselves and their future children. It was one of those friendships that would last for decades with a dedication to be there for each other, and not even death can keep Alexandre from being there for his friend, as his wife and sons continue his work to not only produce some of the best Sauvignon Blanc wines in the world but to never forget that the most important thing about wine is the relationships it creates.
2022 Joseph Mellot, Domaine des Emois, Sancerre Blanc AOC
Cathrine Todd
2023 Joseph Mellot, Sincérité, Sauvignon Blanc
Cathrine Todd
2023 Joseph Mellot, Sincérité, Sauvignon Blanc, Vin de France, France: 100% Sauvignon Blanc. This Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from wine regions around France with the expertise of the Mellot family, blending a classic Sauvignon Blanc with a wonderful balance. Subtle exotic notes of green mango and kaffir lime intertwined with a hint of minerality and juicy flavors of nectarine with an overall purity finishing with mouthwatering acidity
2022 Joseph Mellot, Touraine Chenonceaux, Touraine Chenonceaux AOC
Cathrine Todd
2022 Joseph Mellot, Touraine Chenonceaux, Touraine Chenonceaux AOC, Loire Valley, France: 100% Sauvignon Blanc. This is the estate they purchased from Alexandre Mellot’s longtime friend, which has the famous silex in the soil like Sancerre yet it is a brown silex instead of white giving a distinctive mineral quality such as an intense underlying aroma of pulverized rocks such as in this wine. A gorgeous perfume of aromas with honeysuckle and a hint of peach tart with a delectable, creamy palate and a strong sense of minerality that continues along the long, length of flavor on the finish.
2022 Joseph Mellot, Domaine des Emois, Sancerre Blanc AOC
Cathrine Todd
2022 Joseph Mellot, Domaine des Emois, Sancerre Blanc AOC, Loire Valley, France: 100% Sauvignon Blanc. This wine has been sourced from a handful of plots nears each other that share the same dominant limestone, clay soil. The nose is like an exquisite aria that is wrapped in a chalk-driven quality that exudes a clear sense of place with pristine nose of lemon curd and wildflowers that has an incredible crystalline quality with marked acidity and a long, expressive finish.
2022 Joseph Mellot, Le Rabault, Sancerre Rouge AOC
Cathrine Todd
2022 Joseph Mellot, Le Rabault, Sancerre Rouge AOC, Loire Valley, France: 100% Pinot Noir. Sancerre is world famous for its Sauvignon Blanc wines yet they make a small amount of Pinot Noir that has its own individual characteristics; this wine is also sourced from a handful of plots near each other with limestone and clay soil. A Pinot Noir that dances and prances with fresh red cherries, raspberries and touch of crumbled limestone with a hint of spice and violets that has such an all encompassing pretty quality it makes one’s heart leap from pure delight.
2 2023 Joseph Mellot, Les Morinières, Chinon AOC
Cathrine Todd
2023 Joseph Mellot, Les Morinières, Chinon AOC, Loire Valley, France: 100% Cabernet Franc. This is sourced from a single vineyard named Les Morinières. Dark and mysterious in an thrilling way with crushed rose petals, tree bark and white pepper adding to the intrigue with more structure than the Pinot Noir yet the structure is restrained with an elegant edge that support the enticing flavors of black raspberry liqueur. Armand Mellot noted that they use to have more of a green note to their Cabernet Franc wines as the overall climate was cooler but as the temperatures have gotten slightly higher they no longer have to worry about their wines being too green.
The above descriptions of the wines are Cathrine Todd’s tasting notes and all of the wines were tasted by her on October 21st, 2025.
Dining and Cooking